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Tick bite leads to hospital for Algood boy

Adam Coffin has been battling Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), which he contracted from a tick bite.

Ben Wheeler | Herald-Citizen

Posted
Friday, August 10, 2018 11:50 am

BY BEN WHEELER

What started out as an annual family vacation led to a month in the hospital after Adam Coffin suffered a tick bite.

The Coffin family, owners of Junk in the Trunk, takes a two-week vacation to upstate New York every summer. Three days into the trip, their son Adam was hospitalized at The Children's Hospital in Albany, New York, with a fever and a rash.

Doctors diagnosed Adam with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), which affects the body's cells and immune system. HLH can be hereditary, but doctors were able to pinpoint Adam's case to a tick-borne virus known as Ehrlichia.

"The bite took place a month before we went on vacation, with no reaction so we thought everything was fine," Dawn Coffin said. "Thankfully he had the best hematologist in the northeast, and he knew exactly what to test for."

Adam ended up staying in the hospital for eight days, receiving numerous rounds of steroids and 14 blood transfusions. HLH is a very serious illness that can sometimes leave lifelong effects,

The family then were receiving outpatient care before finally being able to return home, where they were greeted by a number of law enforcement officials.

"Officer Brandon Bean knows Adam really well. A couple years ago, he was out front and let Adam try the radar gun, so they're (close)," said Coffin. "Our friend Lee Flatt got them all together."

Algood officer Brandon Bean led Adam inside the Coffin's store, where local law enforcement officials were there to greet the boy who wants to grow up and be a police officer.

Since returning, Adam has been greeted with an outpouring of support, receiving a new kitten, gifts and even a grocery donation from Industrial Wholesale.

Although the outpouring of support has been a blessing for the family, Adam is still dealing with his diagnosis. Now receiving treatment at Vanderbilt, Adam is having issues with his liver, body pains and a weakened immune system.

Now doctors are beginning to taper off the steroids Adam has been receiving, because of the side effects. This has left him fatigued as his body is fighting the illness on his own.

A GoFundMe page was set up by friends of the family to help pay for medical costs, and has raised close to $2,000 in a month.

"The community really came together for us," Coffin said. "Everybody has been great."

For updates on Adam, check Junk in the Trunk's Facebook page, where the family is posting his progress.